PR 5107 
.06 
1917 
Copy 1 



LOYOLA ENGLISH CLASSICS 



The 
Dream of Gerontius 

BY CARDINAL NEWMAN 

Edited for School Use 
BY JOHN J. CLIFFORD. S.J. 



^GUSAf 




Loyola University Press 

CHICAGO 



LOYOLA ENGLISH CLASSICS 



LOYOLA ENGLISH CLASSICS 



The Dream of Gerontius 



Cardinal Newman 



EDITED FOR SCHOOL USE 

WITH INTRODUCTION, QUESTIONS AND 

GLOSSARY 

By John J. Clifford. S. J. 



^GUSa^ 




Loyola University Press 

CHICAGO 



Ola-vv-.i-c^.. 



Q^^'^ 
1\<^ 



r^^ 



\^n 



COPYRIGHT, 1917 

BY 

Loyola University Press 




MAR 26 1917 

©CUJ57586 
1^ (• 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 



CHRONOLOGICAL LIFE 

1801 John Henry Newman was born in the city of London on 

the twenty-first day of February. 
1820 Was graduated from Trinity College, Oxford. 
1824 Took orders in the Anglican Church. 

1833 Participated as one of the leaders in the Oxford Move- 
ment. 

1845 Entered the Catholic Church, and a year later went to 
Rome to study for the priesthood. 

1847 Returned to England as a Catholic priest to found the 
Community of the Oratory. 

1854 Became Rector of the Irish University at Dublin. 

1864 Published the Apologia pro Vita Sua. 

1865 Published The Dream of Gerontius. 

1879 Was elevated to the cardinalate. 

1890 Died at the Oratory, Birmingham, England, on the 
eleventh day of May. ■ 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS VII 



INTRODUCTION 

The mention of Newman naturally calls up the relation of 
literature to religion, for the simple reason that religion and 
literature are, in Newman, correlated. The question in its 
entirety is, of course, over-large for a foreword to The Dream 
of Gerontius; but in a sub-question under the larger one may 
very well serve the purpose of this introduction. Let us thus 
phrase it: Is a Catholic able to become a great literary man*? 
But why — a thought that may come to anyone — put such a 
question at all? First, for the sake of the answer: The peer 
of English prose writers was a Catholic. Secondly, to contrast 
Newman^s position in the matter with the superior attitude 
assumed by some at the expense of religion. 

A superior attitude towards religion seems to mark the 
present vogue in literary style. For the times are so onward 
that they are said by not a few to have outrun religion. Hence 
the notion is abroad amongst certain classes of students that 
spirituality is a restraint on progress in literary ways, while 
morality arrests life's full realization. So we find but few of 
to-day's literary heroes who are not contravening conventions. 
From the taint of even this literary heresy we should f orfend 
our Catholic student body, and one method of so doing may 
be the study of religion and literature in Newman and his 
Dream of Gerontius. 

Religion and literature are not foes, but friends. A man's 
literary foundations are stronger as his piety is more intense. 
All critics voice this intense piety of Newman. "To my mind," 
said Richard H. Hutton, ''The Dream of Gerontius is the poem 
of a man to whom the vision of the Christian revelation has at 
all times been more real, more potent to influence action, and 
more powerful to preoccupy the imagination than all worldly 
interests put together." And Professor Shairp says: "All 
through life it would seem that the sense of his own soul, of 



VIII THE LOYOLA CLASSICS 

his spiritual nature, and of the existence of God, was more 
present to him than the material world w^hieh surrounded him. 
And it is a thought of his, always deeply felt, that the unseen 
world is close to us and ever ready as it were to break through 
vthe shell and manifest itself." The "unseen world" is a world 
seen by the children of faith ; a world of love ; a world of 
beauty, sleeping dreamless years, waiting literaiy knights to 
vision its loveliness to a visionless humanity. Such a writer may 
the Catholic student become in whom the wells of faith are deep ; 
such a writer has Newman been, in whom the vision of faith 
flashed on the inward eye — the deathless beauty of the world 
undying. 

This vision was the verj^ center of Newman's life ; yet it made 
him no mere visionary. Visionaries are not the product of 
deep spirituality, nor are the children of piety impracticable. 
There is a school that thinks piety and literature have no 
common factor — and yet Newman seemed to find one ; there 
is a school that thinks that literature is a plus, and piety a 
minus energy, and their sum is inertia — ^yet Newman's result 
differs from their answer book. Why? Because his was the 
piety of rugged conviction ; not a dainty creation to glide into 
on the Lord's Day and let hang in moth-proof on the six days 
of other gods, but the armor of faith that saw service on days 
pagan as well as on days holy. 

Hence the power that flowed out from him. "It is hardly 
too much to say," remarks Professor Shairp, "that they 
{Parochial Sermons) have elevated the thought and purified the 
style of every able Oxford man who has written since, even 
of those who had least sympathy with the sentiments they 
express." This religious power of his sprung from a concrete 
grasp of the abstract. How well this is exemplified, those who 
run may read in The Dream of Gerontius. Newman had said: 
"Revealed religion should be especially poetic, and it is so in 
fact. It presents us with those ideal forms of excellence in 
wliicli a poetical mind delights, and with wliich all grace and 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS IX 

harmony are associated. It brings us into a new world — a world 
of overpowering interest, of the sublimest views and the tend- 
erest and purest feeling." -^ 

Here, in The Dream of Gerontius, Newman has taken the 
elements of Christian revelation — God, Christ, the Church, 
the soul, the angels, the demons — brooded over them lovingly, 
till piety took fire and welded them into a masterpiece, a work 
as beautiful as it is sublime. The poem is full of the fire oFl 
passion ; not the passion of mere flesh and blood, but the spir- 
itual passion of the soul aflame for her God. True, the young 
student may fail to find The Dream of Gerontius a masterpiece; 
to him it may prove a disappointment, for its surface beauty is 
meager. But let him remember that "the full appreciation of 
the work of a master mind comes to no one without effort. The 
reward of a student of literature is great, but his labor also is 
great." 

It is with this view in mind that question lists have been 
appended in the hope that some of the qualities that make 
The Dream of Gerontius the masterpiece it is may be brought 
home to our young students. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 



Gerontius 

Jesu, Maria— I am near to death, 

And Thou art calling me; I know it now — 
Not by the token of this faltering breath, 

This chill at heart, this dampness on my brow, — 
(Jesu, have mercy! Mary, pray for me!) 

'Tis this new feeling, never felt before, 
(Be with me. Lord, in my extremity!) 

That I am going, that I am no more. -3 

'Tis this strange innermost abandonment, 

(Lover of souls! great God! I look to Thee,) 10 
This emptying out of each constituent 

And natural force, by which I come to be. 
Pray for me, my friends; a visitant 

Is knocking his dire summons at my door. 
The like of whom, to scare me and to daunt. 

Has never, never come to me before; 
'Tis death, — loving friends, your prayers! — 'tis 
he! 

As though my very being had given way, 



2 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

As though I was no more a substance now, 

And could fall back on nought to be my stay, 20 
(Help, loving Lord! Thou my sole Refuge, Thou,) 

And turn no whither, but must needs decay 
And drop from out the universal frame 

Into that shapeless, scopeless, blank abyss, 
That utter nothingness, of which I came; 

This is it that has come to pass in me; 
Oh, horror! this it is, my dearest, this; 
So pray for me, my friends, who have not strength 
to pray. 

Assistants 

Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison. 

Holy Mary, pray for him. 30 

All holy Angels, pray for him. 

Choirs of the righteous, pray for him. 

Holy Abraham, pray for him. 

St. John Baptist, St. Joseph, pray for him. 

St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Andrew, St. John, 

All Apostles, all Evangelists, pray for him. 

All holy Disciples of the Lord, pray for him. 

All holy Innocents, pray for him. 

All holy Martyrs, all holy Confessors, 

All holy Hermits, all holy Virgins, 40 

All ye saints of God, pray for him. 

Gerontius 

Rouse thee, my fainting soul, and play the man ; 

And through such waning span 
Of life and thought as still has to be trod. 

Prepare to meet thy God. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 3 

And while the storm of that bewilderment 

Is for a season spent, 
And ere afresh the ruin on me fall, 

Use well the interval. 

Assistants 

Be merciful, be gracious; spare him. Lord. 50 

Be merciful, be gracious; Lord, deliver him. 
From the sins that are past; 
From Thy frown and Thine ire; 
From the perils of dying; 
From any complying 
With sin, or denying 
His God, or relying 
On self, at the last; 

From the nethermost fire; 
From all that is evil; 60 

From the power of the devil; 
Thy servant deliver, 
For once and for ever. 

By Thy birth, and by Thy Cross, 
Rescue him from endless loss; 
By Thy death and burial. 
Save him from a final fall; 
By Thy rising from the tomb. 

By Thy mounting up above. 

By the Spirit* s gracious love, 70 

Save him in the day of doom. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 



Gerontius 

Sanctus fortis, Sanctus Deus, 

De profundis oro te, 
Miserere, Judex meus, 

Parce mihi, Domine. 
Firmly I believe and truly 

God is Three, and God is One; 
And I next acknowledge duly 

Manhood taken by the Son. 
And I trust and hope most fully 80 

In that Manhood crucified; 
And each thought and deed unruly 

Do to death, as He has died. 
Simply to His grace and wholly 

Light and life and strength belong, 
And I love, supremely, solely, 

Him the holy. Him the strong. 
Sanctus fortis, Sanctus Deus, 

De profundis oro te, 
Miserere, Judex meus, 90 

Parce mihi, Domine. 
And I hold in veneration, 

For the love of Him alone, 
Holy Church, as His creation. 

And her teachings, as His own. 
And I take with joy whatever 

Now besets me, pain or fear, u ^\ 

And with a strong will I sever r^ 

All the ties which bind me here. 
Adoration aye be given, 100 

With and through the angelic host. 
To the God of earth and Heaven, 

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 5 

Sanctus fortis, Sanctus Deus, 

De profundis oro te, 
Miserere, Judex meus, 

Mortis in discrimine. 

I can no more; for now it comes again, rt^^^ 
That sense of ruin, which is worse than pain; 
That masterful negation and collapse 110 

Of all that makes me man ; as though I bent 

Over the dizzy brink 
Of some sheer infinite descent; 
Or worse, as though 

Down, down for ever I was falling through 
The solid framework of created things, 
And needs must sink and sink 
Into the vast abyss. And, crueller still, 
A fierce and restless fright begins to fill 
The mansion of my soul. And, worse and worse, 
Some bodily form of ill 121 

Floats on the wind, with many a loathsome curse 
Tainting the hallowed air, and laughs, and flaps 
Its hideous wings, 
And makes me wild with horror and dismay. 
Jesu, help! Pray for me, Mary, pray! 
Some angel, Jesu! such as came to Thee 

In Thine own agony 

Mary, pray for me. Joseph, pray for me. Mary, 
pray for me. 130 



Assistants 

Rescue him, Lord, in this his evil hour, 
As of old so many by Thy gracious power: 
(Amen.) 



6 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

Enoch and Elias from the common doom; (Amen.) 
Noe from the waters in a saving home; (Amen.) 
Abraham from th' abounding guilt of Heathen- 
esse! (Amen.) 
Job from all his multiform and fell distress; 

(Amen. ) 
Isaac, when his father's knife was raised to slay; 

(Amen. ) 
Lot from burning Sodom on its judgment-day; 

(Amen. ) 
Moses from the land of bondage and despair; 

(Amen.) 
Daniel from the hungry lions in their lair; (Amen.) 
And the Children Three amid the furnace-flame; 

(Amen.) 141 

Chaste Susanna from the slander and the shame; 

(Amen. ) 
David from Golia and the wrath of Saul; (Amen.) 
And the two Apostles from their prison-thrall; 

(Amen. ) 
Thecla from her torments; (Amen.) 

— so, to show Thy Power, 
Rescue this Thy servant in his evil hour. 

Gerontius 

Novissima hora est; and I fain would sleep. 
The pain has wearied me. . \ . Into Thy hands, 
Lord, into Thy hands . . . 

The Priest 

Proficiscere, anima Christiana, de hoc mundo! 150 
Go forth upon thy journey. Christian soul! 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 7 

Go from this world! Go, in the name of God 

The omnipotent Father, who created thee! 

Go, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, 

Son of the living God, who bled for thee! 

Go, in the name of the Holy Spirit, who 

Hath been poured out on thee! Go, in the name 

Of Angels and Archangels; in the name 

Of Thrones and Dominations; in the name 

Of Princedoms and of Powers; and in the name 

Of Cherubim and Seraphim, go forth! 161 

Go, in the name of Patriarchs and Prophets 

And of Apostles and Evangelists, 

Of Martyrs and Confessors; in the name 

Of holy Monks and Hermits; in the name 

Of holy Virgins: and all Saints of God, 

Both men and women, go! Go on thy course; 

And may thy place to-day be found in peace, 

And may thy dwelling be the Holy Mount 

Of Sion:— in the name of Christ our Lord. 170 



n 



Soul of Gerontius 

I WENT to sleep; and now I am refreshed. 

A strange refreshment: for I feel in me 

An inexpressive lightness, and a sense 

Of freedom, as I were at length myself. 

And ne'er had been before. How still it is! 

I hear no more the busy beat of time. 

No, nor my fluttering breath, nor struggling pulse; 



8 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

Nor does one moment differ from the next. 
I had a dream; yes:— some one softly said 
''He's gone'*; and then a sigh went round the 
room. 180 

And then I surely heard a priestly voice 
Cry "Subvenite''; and they knelt in prayer. 
I seem to hear him still; but thin and low, 
And fainter and more faint the accents come, 
As at an ever-widening interval. 
Ah! whence is this? What is this severance? 
This silence pours a solitariness 
Into the very essence of my soul; 
And the deep rest, so soothing and so sweet, 
Hath something too of sternness and of pain, 190 
For it drives back my thoughts upon their spring 
By a strange introversion, and perforce 
I now begin to feed upon myself, 
Because I have nought else to feed upon. 

Am I alive or dead? I am not dead, 

But in the body still; for I possess 

A sort of confidence which clings to me 

That each partipJ#organ holds its place 

As heretoforefcombining with the rest 

Into one symmetry, that wraps me round, 200 

And makes me man ; and surely I could move. 

Did I but will it, every part of me. 

And yet I cannot to my sense bring home. 

By very trial, that I have the power. 

'Tis strange; I cannot stir a hand or foot, 

I cannot make my fingers or my lips 

By mutual pressure witness each to each, 

Nor by the eyelid's instantaneous stroke 

Assure myself I have a body still. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 9 

Nor do I know my very attitude, 210 

Nor if I stand, or lie, or sit, or kneel. 

So much I know, not knowing how I know, 
That the vast universe, where I have dwelt. 
Is quitting me, or I am quitting it. 
Or I or it is rushing on the wings 
Of light or lightning on an onward course, 
And we e'en now are million miles apart. 
Yet ... is this peremptory severance 
Wrought out in lengthening measurements of 

space. 
Which grow and multiply by speed and time? 220 
Or am I traversing infinity 
By endless subdivision, hurrying back 
From finite towards infinitesimal, 
Thus dying out of the expansive world? 

Another marvel: some one has me fast 

Within his ample palm; 'tis not a grasp 

Such as they use on earth, but all around 

Over the surface of my subtle being. 

As though I were a sphere, and capable 

To be accosted thus, a uniform 230 

And gentle pressure tells me I am not 

Self -moving, but borne forward on my way. 

And hark! I hear a singing; yet in sooth 

I cannot of that music rightly say 

Whether I hear, or touch, or taste the tones. 

Oh, what a heart-subduing melody! 



10 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 



Angel 



My work is done, 
My task is o'er, 
And so I come, 

Taking it home, 240 

For the crown is won. 
Alleluia, 
For evermore. 

My Father gave 
In charge to me 

This child of earth 
E'en from its birth, 
To serve and save, 
Alleluia, 
And saved is he. 250 

» 
This child of clay 
To me was given, 
To rear and train 
By sorrow and pain 
In the narrow way, 
Alleluia, 
From earth to heaven. 



Soul 

It is a member of that family 

Of wondrous beings who, ere the worlds were 

made. 
Millions of ages back, have stood around 260 

The throne of God: — he never has known sin; 
But through those cycles all but infinite 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 11 

Has had a strong and pure celestial life, 
And bore to gaze on th' unveiled face of God, 
And drank from the eternal Fount of truth, 
And served Him with a keen ecstatic love. 
Hark ! he begins again. 

Angel 

Lord, how wonderful in depth and height. 

But most in man, how wonderful Thou art ! 

With what a love, what soft persuasive might 270 

Victorious o'er the stubborn fleshly heart, 

Thy tale complete of saints Thou dost provide. 

To fill the thrones which angels lost through 

pride ! 

He lay a grovelling babe upon the ground, 

Polluted in the blood of his first sire, 
With his whole essence shattered and unsound. 
And, coiled around his heart, a demon dire. 
Which was not of his nature, but had skill 
To bind and form his opening mind to ill. 

Then was I sent from heaven to set right 280 

The balance in his soul of truth and sin, 
And I have waged a long relentless fight. 

Resolved that death-environed spirit to win. 
Which from its fallen state, when all was lost, 
Had been repurchased at so dread a cost. 

Oh, what a shifting parti-coloured scene 

Of hope and fear, of triumph and dismay,(L-^^ 

Of recklessness and penitence, has been nh-^ 

The history of that dreary, lifelong fray ! 



12 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

And oh, the grace to nerve him and to lead, 290 
How patient, prompt, and lavish at his need ! 

man, strange composite of heaven and earth ! f 

Majesty dwarfed to baseness ! fragrant flower 
Running to poisonous seed! and seeming worth 
Cloaking corruption! weakness mastering 
power ! 
Who never art so near to crime and shame, 
As when thou hast achieved some deed of 
name; — 

How should ethereal natures comprehend 
A thing made up of spirit and of clay, 
Were we not tasked to nurse it and to tend, 300 
Linked one to one throughout its mortal day ? 
More than the Seraph in his height of place, 
The Angel-guardian knows and loves the ran- 
somed race. 

« 

Soul 

Now know I surely that I am at length 
Out of the body: had I part with earth, 

1 never could have drunk those accents in, 
And not have worshipped as a god the voice 
That v/as so musical; but now I am 

So whole of heart, so calm, so self-possessed, 
With such a full content, and with a sense 310 
So apprehensive and discriminant. 
As no temptation can intoxicate. 
Nor have I even terror at the thought 
That I am clasped by such a saintliness. 



the dream of gerontius 13 

Angel 

All praise to Him, at whose sublime decree 

The last are first, the first become the last; 
By whom the suppliant prisoner is set free, 

By whom proud first-borns from their thrones 
are cast. 
Who raises Mary to be Queen of heaven. 
While Lucifer is left, condemned and unforgiven. 



Ill 



Soul 



I will address him. Mighty one, my Lord, 321 
My Guardian Spirit, all hail ! 

Angel 

All hail, my child ! 
My child and brother, hail ! What wouldest thou ? 

Soul 

I would have nothing but to speak with thee 
For speaking's sake. I wish to hold with thee 
Conscious communion; though I fain would know 
A maze of things, were it but meet to ask, 
And not a curiousness. 



14 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

Angel 

You cannot now 330 

Cherish a wish which ought not be wished. 

Soul 

Then I will speak. I ever had believed 
That on the moment when the struggling soul 
Quitted its mortal case, forthwith it fell 
Under the awful Presence of its God, 
There to be judged and sent to its own place. 
What lets me now from going to my Lord ? 

Angel 

Thou art not let; but with extremes t speed 

Art hurrying to the just and holy Judge: 

For scarcely art thou disembodied yet. 340 

Divide a moment, as men measure time, 

Into its million-million-millionth part. 

Yet even less than that the interval 

Since thou didst leave the body; and the priest 

Cried ''Subvenite'', and they fell to prayer; 

Nay, scarcely yet have they begun to pray. 

For spirits and men by different standards mete 
The less and greater in the flow of time. 
By sun and moon, primeval ordinances— 
By stars which rise and set harmoniously — 350 
By the recurring seasons, and the swing, 
This way and that, of the suspended rod 
Precise and punctual, men divide the hours, 
Equal, continuous, for their common use. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 15 

Not SO with us in th' immaterial world; 

But intervals in their succession 

Are measured by the living thought alone, 

And grow or wane with its intensity. 

And time is not a common property; 

But what is long is short, and swift is slow, 360 

And near is distant, as received and grasped 

By this mind and by that, and every one 

Is standard of his own chronology. 

And memory lacks its natural resting-points 

Of years, and centuries, and periods. 

It is thy very energy of thought 

Which keeps thee from thy God. 

Soul 

Dear Angel, say, 
Why have I now no fear at meeting Him ? 
Along my earthly life, the thought of death 370 
And judgment was to me most terrible. 
I had it aye before me, and I saw 
The Judge severe e'en in the crucifix. 
Now that the hour is come, my fear is fled ; 
And at this balance of my destiny, 
Now close upon me, I can forward look 
With a serenest joy. 

Angel 

It is because 
Then thou didst fear, that now thou dost not fear. 
Thou hast forestalled the agony, and so 380 

For thee the bitterness of death is past. 



16 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

Also, because already in thy soul 

The judgment is begun. That day of doom, 

One and the same for the collected world— 

That solemn consummation for all flesh, 

Is, in the case of each, anticipate 

Upon his death; and, as the last great day 

In the particular judgment is rehearsed, 

So now too, ere thou comest to the Throne, 

A presage falls upon thee, as a ray 390 

Straight from the Judge, expressive of thy lot. 

That calm and joy uprising in thy soul 

Is first- fruit to thee of thy recompense, 

And heaven begun. 



IV 



Soul 

But hark ! upon my sense 
Comes a fierce hubbub, which would make me fear, 
Could I be frighted. 

Angel 

We are now arrived 
Close on the judgment-court; that sullen howl 
Is from the demons who assemble there. 400 

It is the middle region, where of old 
Satan appeared among the sons of God, 
To cast his jibes and scoffs at holy Job. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 17 

So now his legions throng the vestibule, 
Hungry and wild, to claim their property, 
And gather souls for hell. Hist to their cry. 

Soul 
How sour and how uncouth a dissonance ! 

Demons 

Low-born clods 
Of brute earth. 

They aspire 410 

To become gods, 

By a new birth, 
And an extra grace. 

And a score of merits. 
As if aught 
Could stand in place 

Of the high thought. 
And the glance of fire 
Of the great spirits, 
The powers blest, 420 

The lords by right. 

The primal owners 

Of the proud dwelling 
And the realm of light, — 
Dispossessed, 
Aside thrust, 

Chucked down. 
By the sheer might 
Of a despot's will, 

Of a tyrant's frown. 430 



18 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

Who after expelling 
Their hosts, gave, 
Triumphant still, 
And still unjust, 

Each forfeit crown 
To psalm-droners. 
And canting groaners, 

To every slave. 
And pious cheat. 

And crawling knave, 440 

Who licked the dust 

Under his feet. 

Angel 

It is the restless panting of their being; 

Like beasts of prey, who, caged within their bars, 

In a deep hideous purring have their life. 

And an incessant pacing to and fro. 

Demons 

The mind bold 

And independent. 
The purpose free. 
So we are told, 450 

Must not think 
To have the ascendant. 

What^s a saint? 
One whose breath 

Doth the air taint 
Before his death; 

A bundle of bones. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 19 

• Which fools adore, 

Ha! ha! 
When life is o'er, 460 

Which rattle and stink, 
E'en in the flesh. 
We cry his pardon ! 

No flesh hath he; 
Ha! ha! 
For it hath died, 
'Tis crucified 
Day by day. 
Afresh, afresh, 

Ha! ha! 470 

That holy clay, 

Ha! ha! 
This gains guerdon. 
So priestlings prate, 
Ha! ha! 
Before the Judge, 

And pleads and atones 
For spite and grudge. 

And bigot mood, 
And envy and hate, 480 

And greed of blood. 

Soul 

How impotent they are ! and yet on earth 
They have repute for wondrous power and skill; 
And books describe, how that the very face 
Of the Evil One, if seen, would have a force 
Even to freeze the blood, and choke the life 
Of him who saw it. 



20 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

Angel 

In thy trial-state 
Thou hadst a traitor nestling close at home, 
Connatural, who with the powers of hell 490 

Was leagued, and of thy senses kept the keys, 
And to that deadliest foe unlocked thy heart. 
And therefore is it, in respect of man. 
Those fallen ones show so majestical. 
But, when some child of grace, angel or saint, 
Pure and upright in his integrity 
Of nature, meets the demons on their raid, 
They scud away as cowards from the fight. 
Nay, oft hath holy hermit in his cell, 
Not yet disburdened of mortality, 500 

Mocked at their threats and warlike overtures; 
Or, dying, when they swarmed, like flies, around, 
Defied them, and departed to his Judge. 

Demons 

Virtue and vice, 

A knave's pretence 
'Tis all the same; 
Ha! ha! 
Dread of hell-fire. 
Of the venomous flame, 

A coward's plea. 510 

Give him his price. 

Saint though he be, 
Ha! ha! 
From shrewd good sense 

He'll slave for hire, 
Ha! ha! 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 21 

And does but aspire 
To the heaven above 

With sordid aim, 
And not from love. 520 

Ha! ha! 

Soul 

I see not those false spirits; shall I see 

My dearest Master, when I reach His throne; 

Or hear, at least. His awful judgment- word 

With personal intonation, as I now 

Hear thee, not see thee, Angel ? Hitherto 

All has been darkness since I left the earth; 

Shall I remain thus sight-bereft all through 

My penance time ? If so, how comes it then 

That I have hearing still, and taste, and touch, 

Yet not a glimmer of that princely sense 531 

Which binds ideas in one, and makes them live ? 

Angel 

Nor touch, nor taste, nor hearing hast thou now; 

Thou livest in a world of signs and types, 

The presentations of most holy truths, 

Living and strong, which now encompass thee. 

A disembodied soul, thou hast by right 

No converse with aught else beside thyself; 

But, lest so stern a solitude should load 

And break thy being, in mercy are vouchsafed 540 

Some lower measures of perception, 

Which seem to thee as though through channels 

brought, 
Through ear, or nerves, or palate, which are gone. 



22 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

And thou art wrapped and swathed around in 

dreams, 
Dreams that are true, yet enigmatical; 
For the belongings of thy present state. 
Save through such symbols, come not home to thee. 
And thus thou tell'st of space, and time, and size. 
Of fragrant, solid, bitter, musical. 
Of fire, and of refreshment after fire; 550 

As (let me use similitude of earth. 
To aid thee in the knowledge thou dost ask) — 
As ice which blisters may be said to burn. 
Nor hast thou now extension, with its parts 
Correlative,— long habit cozens thee,— 
Nor power to move thyself, nor limbs to move. 
Hast thou not heard of those, who after loss 
Of hand or foot, still cried that they had pains 
In hand or foot, as though they had it still ? 
So is it now with thee, who hast not lost 560 

Thy hand or foot, but all which made up man; 
So will it be, until the joyous day 
Of resurrection, when thou wilt regain 
All thou hast lost, new-made and glorified. 
How, even now, the consummated Saints 
See God in heaven, I may not explicate. 
Meanwhile let it suffice thee to possess 
Such means of converse as are granted thee. 
Though till that Beatific Vision thou art blind ; 
For e'en thy purgatory, which comes like fire, 570 
Is fire without its light. 

Soul 

His will be done ! 
I am not worthy e'er to see again 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 23 

The face of day; far less His countenance 
Who is the very sun. Nathless, in life, 
When I looked forward to my purgatory, 
It ever was my solace to believe, 
That, ere I plunged amid th' avenging flame, 
I had one sight of Him to strengthen me. 

Angel 

Nor rash nor vain is that presentiment; 580 

Yes, —for one moment thou shalt see thy Lord. 
Thus will it be: what time thou art arraigned 
Before the dread tribunal, and thy lot 
Is cast for ever, should it be to sit 
On His right hand among His pure elect. 
Then sight, or that which to the soul is sight, 
As by a lightning-flash, will come to thee. 
And thou shalt see, amid the dark profound. 
Whom thy soul loveth, and would fain approach, — 
One moment; but thou knowest not, my child, 590 
What thou dost ask: that sight of the Most Fair 
Will gladden thee, but it will pierce thee too. 

Soul 

Thou speakest darkly. Angel ! and an awe 
Falls on me, and a fear lest I be rash. 

Angel 

There was a mortal, who is now above 
In the mid glory: he, when near to die. 
Was given communion with the Crucified,— 



24 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

Such, that the Master's very wounds were stamped 
Upon his flesh; and, from the agony 
Which thrilled through body and soul in that 

embrace 600 

Learn that the flame of the Everlasting Love 
Doth burn ere it transform. ... 



. . . Hark to those sounds ! 
They come of tender beings angelical. 
Least and most childlike of the sons of God. 



First Choir of Angelicals 

Praise to the Holiest in the height. 

And in the depth be praise: 
In all His words most wonderful; 

Most sure in all His ways ! 

To us His elder race He gave 610 

To battle and to win, 
Without the chastisement of pain, 

Without the soil of sin. 

The younger son he willed to be 

A marvel in his birth: 
Spirit and flesh his parents were; 

His home was heaven and earth. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 25 

The Eternal blessed His child, and armed, 

And sent him hence afar. 
To serve as champion in the field 620 

Of elemental war. 

To be his Viceroy in the world 

Of matter, and of sense; 
Upon the frontier, towards the foe, 

A resolute defence. 

Angel 

We now have passed the gate, and are within 

The House of Judgment; and whereas on earth 

Temples and palaces are formed of parts 

Costly and rare, but all material, 

So in the world of spirits nought is found, 630 

To mould withal and form into a whole, 

But what is immaterial; and thus 

The smallest portions of this edifice, 

Cornice, or frieze, or balustrade, or stair. 

The very pavement is made up of life— 

Of holy, blessed, and immortal beings. 

Who hymn their Maker's praise continually. 

Second Choir of Angelicals 

Praise to the Holiest in the height. 

And in th^ depth be praise: 
In all His words most wonderful; 640 

Most sure in all His ways ! 

Woe to thee, man ! for he was found 
A recreant in the fight; 



26 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

And lost his heritage of heaven, 
And fellowship with light. 

Above him now the angry sky, 

Around the tempest's din; 
Who once had angels for his friends, 

Had but the brutes for kin. 

man ! a savage kindred they; 650 

To flee that monster brood 
He scaled the seaside cave, and clomb 

The giants of the wood. 

With now a fear, and now a hope, 
With aids which chance supplied. 

From youth to eld, from sire to son. 
He lived, and toiled, and died. 

He dreed his penance age by age; 

And step by step began 
Slowly to doff his savage garb, 660 

And be again a man. 

And quickened by the Almighty's breath, 

x\nd chastened by His rod, 
And taught by Angel-visitings, 

At length he sought his God: 

And learned to call upon His name. 

And in His faith create 
A household and a fatherland, 

A city and a state. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 27 

Glory to Him who from the mire, 670 

In patient length of days, 
Elaborated into life 

A people to His praise ! 

Soul 

The sound is like the rushing of the wind — 
The summer wind among the lofty pines; 
Swelling and dying, echoing round about. 
Now here, now distant, wild and beautiful; 
While, scattered from the branches it has stirred. 
Descend ecstatic odours. 

Third Choir of Angelicals 

Praise to the Holiest in the height, 680 

And in the depth be praise: 
In all His words most wonderful; 

Most sure in all his ways ! 

The Angels, as beseemingly 

To spirit-kind was given, 
At once were tried and perfected. 

And took their seats in heaven. 

For them no twilight or eclipse; 

No growth and no decay: 
Twas hopeless, all-ingulfing night, 690 

Or beatific day. 

But to the younger race there rose 
A hope upon its fall; 



28 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

And slowly, surely, gracefully. 
The morning dawned on all. 

And ages, opening out, divide 

The precious and the base, 
And from the hard and sullen mass, 

Mature the heirs of grace. 

man ! albeit the quickening ray, 700 

Lit from his second birth. 
Makes him at length what once he was. 

And heaven grows out of earth; 

Yet still between that earth and heaven— 

His journey and his goal — 
A double agony awaits 

His body and his soul. 

A double debt he has to pay— 

The forfeit of his sins. 
The chill of death is past and now 710 

The penance-fire begins. 

Glory to Him, who evermore 

By truth and justice reigns; 
Who tears the soul from out its case. 

And burns away its stains ! 

Angel 

They sing of thy approaching agony, 

Which thou so eagerly didst question of: 

It is the face of the Incarnate God 

Shall smite thee with that keen and subtle pain; 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 29 

And yet the memory which it leaves will be 720 
A sovereign febrifuge to heal the wound; 
And yet withal it will the wound provoke, 
And aggravate and widen it the more. 

Soul 

Thou speakest mysteries; still methinks I know 
To disengage the tangle of thy words: 
Yet rather would I hear thy angel voice, 
Than for myself be thy interpreter. 

Angel 

When then— if such thy lot— thou seest thy Judge, 
The sight of Him will kindle in thy heart 
All tender, gracious, reverential thoughts. 730 
Thou wilt be sick with love, and yearn for Him, 
And feel as though thou couldst but pity Him, 
That one so sweet should e'er have placed Himself 
At disadvantage such, as to be used 
So vilely by a being so vile as thee. 
There is a pleading in His pensive eyes 
Will pierce thee to the quick, and trouble thee. 
And thou wilt hate and loathe thyself; for, though 
Now sinless, thou wilt feel that thou hast sinned. 
As never thou didst feel; and wilt desire 740 

To slink away, and hide thee from His sight 
And yet wilt have a longing aye to dwell 
Within the beauty of His countenance. 
And these two pains, so counter and so keen, — 
The longing for Him, when thou seest Him not; 
The shame of self at thought of seeing Him,— 
Will be thy veriest, sharpest purgatory. 



30 the dream of gerontius 

Soul 

My soul is in my hand: I have no fear,— 
In His dear might prepared for weal or woe. 
But hark! a grand mysterious harmony: 750 

It floods me, like the deep and solemn sound 
Of many waters. 

Angel 

We have gained the stairs 
Which rise towards the Presence-chamber; there 
A band of mighty Angels keep the way 
On either side, and hymn the Incarnate God. 

Angels of the Sacred Stair 

Father, whose goodness none can know, but they 
Who see Thee face to face. 

By man hath come the infinite display 

Of Thy victorious grace; 760 

But fallen man — the creature of a day- 
Skills not that love to trace. 

It needs, to tell the triumph Thou has wrought, 

An Angel's deathless fire, an Angel's reach of 
thought. 

It needs that very Angel, who with awe, 

Amid the garden shade, 
The great Creator in His sickness saw. 

Soothed by a creature's aid. 
And agonized, as victim of the Law 
Which He Himself had made; 770 

For who can praise Him in His depth and height, 
But he who saw Him reel amid that solitary fight? 



the dream of gerontius 31 

Soul 

Hark! for the lintels of the presence-gate 
Are vibrating and echoing back the strain. 

Fourth Choir of Angelicals 

Praise to the Holiest in the height, 

And in the depth be praise: 
In all His words most wonderful; 

Most sure in all his ways ! 

The foe blasphemed the Holy Lord, 
As if he reckoned ill, 780 

In that he placed His puppet man 
The frontier place to fill. 

For even in his best estate, 

With amplest gifts endued, 
A sorry sentinel was he, 

A being of flesh and blood. 

As though a thing, who for his help 

Must needs possess a wife, 
Could cope with those proud rebel hosts, 

Who had angelic life. 790 

And when, by blandishment of Eve, 

That earth-born Adam fell, 
He shrieked in triumph, and he cried, 

*'A sorry sentinel; 

The Maker by His word is bound, 

Escape or cure is none; 
He must abandon to his doom, 

And slay His darling Son." 



32 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

Angel 

And now the threshold, as we traverse it, 

Utters aloud its glad responsive chant. 800 

Fifth Choir of Angelicals 

Praise to the Holiest in the height. 

And in the depth be praise: 
In all His words most wonderful; 

Most sure in all His ways ! 

loving wisdom of our God ! 

When all was sin and shame, 
A second Adam to the fight 

And to the rescue came. 

wisest love ! that flesh and blood 
Which did in Adam fail, 810 

Should strive afresh against the foe. 
Should strive and should prevail; 

And that a higher gift than grace 

Should flesh and blood reflne, 
God's Presence and His very Self, 

And Essence all divine. 

generous love ! that He who smote 

In man for man the foe, 
The double agony in man 

For man should undergo; 820 

And in the garden secretly. 

And on the cross on high. 
Should teach his brethren and inspire 

To suffer and to die. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 



VI 



Angel 

Thy Judgment now is near, for we are come 
Into the veiled presence of our God. 

Soul 
I hear the voices that I left on earth. 

Angel 

It is the voice of friends around thy bed, 

Who say the "Subvenite'' with the priest. 

Hither the echoes come; before the Throne 830 

Stands the great Angel of the Agony, 

The same who strengthened Him, what time He 

knelt 
Lone in the garden shade, bedewed with blood. 
That Angel best can plead with Him for all 
Tormented souls, the dying and the dead. 

Angel of the Agony 

Jesu ! by that shuddering dread which fell on 

Thee; 
Jesu! by that cold dismay which sickened Thee; 
Jesu ! by that pang of heart which thrilled in 

Thee; 
Jesu! by that mount of sins which crippled Thee; 



34 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

Jesu! by that sense of guilt which stifled Thee; 
Jesu! by that innocence which girdled Thee; 841 
Jesu! by that sanctity which reigned in Thee; 
Jesu! by that Godhead which was one with Thee; 
Jesu ! spare these souls which are so dear to Thee, 
Who in prison, calm and patient, wait for Thee; 
Hasten, Lord, their hour, and bid them come to 

Thee, 
To that glorious Home, where they shall ever gaze 

on Thee. 

Soul 
I go before my Judge. Ah ! . . . . 



Angel 

.... Praise to His Name ! 
The eager spirit has darted from my hold, 850 

And, with the intemperate energy of love. 
Flies to the dear feet of Emmanuel; 
But, ere it reach them, the keen sanctity, 
Which with its effluence, like a glory, clothes 
And circles round the Crucified, has seized. 
And scorched, and shrivelled it; and now it lies 
Passive and still before the awful Throne. 
happy, suffering soul ! for it is safe, 
Consumed, yet quickened, by the glance of God. 

Soul 

Take me away, and in the lowest deep 860 

There let me be, 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 35 

And there in hope the lone night-watches keep, 

Told out for me. 
There, motionless and happy in my pain, 

Lone, not forlorn, — 
There will I sing my sad perpetual strain, 

Until the morn. 
There will I sing, and soothe my stricken breast. 

Which ne'er can cease 
To throb, and pine, and languish, till possest 870 

Of its Sole Peace. 
There will I sing my absent Lord and Love:— 

Take me away, 
That sooner I may rise, and go above, 
And see Him in the truth of everlasting day. 



VII 



A*NGEL 

Now let the golden prison ope its gates, 
Making sweet music, as each fold revolves 
Upon its ready hinge. And ye great powers. 
Angels of Purgatory, receive from me 
My charge, a precious soul, until the day, 880 

When, from all bond and forfeiture released, 
I shall reclaim it for the courts of light. 

Souls in Purgatory 

1. Lord, Thou hast been our refuge: in every gen- 
eration ; 



36 THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 

2. Before the hills were born, and the world was: 

from age to age Thou art God. 

3. Bring us not, Lord, very low: for Thou hast 

said. Come back again, ye sons of Adam. 

4. A thousand years before Thine eyes are but as 

yesterday: and as a watch of the night 
which is come and gone. 

5. The grass springs up in the morning: at even- 

ingtide it shrivels up and dies. 

6. So we fail in Thine anger: and in Thy wrath 

we are troubled. 

7. Thou hast set our sins in Thy sight: and our 

round of days in the light of Thy counte- 
nance. 

8. Come back, Lord ! how long: and he entreat- 

ed for Thy servants. 890 

9. In Thy morning we shall be filled with Thy 

mercy: we shall rejoice and be in pleasure 
all our days. 

10. We shall be glad according to the days of our 

humiliation: and the years in which we have 
seen evil. 

11. Look, Lord, upon Thy servants and on Thy 

work: and direct their children. 

12. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be 

upon us: and the work of our hands, estab- 
lish Thou it. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the 
Holy Ghost. 

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall 
be: world without end. Amen. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 



87 



Angel 

Softly and gently, dearly-ransomed soul, 

In my most loving arms I now enfold thee, 

And, o'er the penal waters, as they roll, 

I poise thee, and I lower thee, and hold thee. 

And carefully I dip thee in the lake, 901 

And thou, without a sob or a resistance. 

Dost through the flood thy rapid passage take. 
Sinking deep, deeper into the dim distance. 

Angels, to whom the willing task is given, 

Shall tend, and nurse and lull thee, as thou 
liest; 
And Masses on the earth, and prayers in heaven, 
Shall aid thee at the Throne of the Most High- 
est. 

Farewell, but not for ever! brother dear, 

Be brave and patient on thy bed of sorrow. 

Swiftly shall pass thy night of trial here, 911 

And I will come and wake thee on the morrow, j 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 39 



THE TEXT 
PROLOGUE. Lines 1-170. 

1. What is the natural tone of a death scene'? 

2. How does the prologue gain that tone? 

3. Do the choruses of the Assistants intensify that effect? 

4. Does the Latin add to or detract from the effect ? Why ? 

5. Describe the "new feeling never felt before" by which 
Gerontius knows that he is dying. Lines 7-28. 

6. In lines 7-28. 

a. Which line best pictures to you the void into which 
Gerontius is falling? 

h. What effect do his invocations produce on the narrative? 

c. What lines indicate his fear of death? 

d. Can you point out any indication of a death struggle ? 

7. Line 42 indicates a change of mood. There are four 
such soul states in Gerontius' dying. What is the mood in lines 
1-30? In lines 42-107? In lines 107-130? In lines 147-150? 

8. Are these moods influenced by the prayers of the Assis- 
tants? Explain. 

9. Show by examples the responsiveness of the language 
to the mood; i. e., by change in rhythm, by change in diction. 

10. What comparison brings out "that sense of ruin which 
is worse than pain"? Line 110. 

11. Did you ever dream that you were falling? Does the 
comparison used in the poem correspond to your feelings? 

12. Is there any indication of temptation? Line 120. 

13. What would you say are the most beautiful lines of the 
prologue? Give reasons for your choice. 

14. How would you characterize the movement or rhythm 
of the prologue? 

15. What ideas or thoughts strike you as new in the pro- 
logue? 



40 THE LOYOLA CLASSICS 

FIRST EPISODE. Lines 171-320. 

16. What lines indicate the movement of the first episode? 

17. Is the movement a contrast to that of the prologue? 
Why? 

18. What world does the soul now enter, and what problem 
now faces the poet? 

19. In line 225 we read: "Another marvel: " 

What marvels make up this episode? 

20. How can "sweet rest" have pain? Lines 190-195. 

21. What two doubts possess the soul? Lines 196-210; 210- 
225. 

22. Have you felt doubt as to whether you were moving 
when a train rushed past the one in which you were? Are 
your feelings verified in the poet's words? 

23. How would you characterize 

a. The Angels' first song? (A song of ). 

h. The Angels' second song? (A song of ). 

24. What is the effect of these melodies on the narrative? 

25. How does Gerontius recognize the Angel ? . Line 258. 

26. Do you consider line 307 exaggerated? Can you recall 
anything similar in Saint John's Apocalypse? 

27. Why is the soul of Gerontius temptation-free? Line 
312. 

28. What lines impress you as the most musical in this 
episode? 

29. Scan them for their musical reason. 

SECOND EPISODE. Lines 321-394. 

30. What two questions of Gerontius, together with the 
Angel's answer, make up the content of this episode? 

31. Do the answers satisfy your thoughts on the matter in 
question? Why? 

32. Are the questions such as you would ask? Why? 

33. What line in the Angel's first answer shows the time 
occupied by the first and second episodes? 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 41 

34. How is "time" measured in eternity*? Line 355. 

35. Is this standard natural? Would or could you propose 
another standard? 

36. What keeps the soul of Gerontius from his God? Line 
365. 

37. "I saw the Judge severe e'en in the crucifix." Is this 
the common view of men ? Should it be otherwise ? Why ? 

38. What is the relation of the Particular to the General 
Judgment as given in the text ? Lines 380-390. Is this relation 
consonant with the Catechism? 

39. In these lines is there any indication that Gerontius is 
saved ? 

THIRD EPISODE. Lines 395-602. 

40. What lines strike the key-note of this episode? 

41. Are the Demons' choruses in harmony with this note? 
Why? 

42. What is the attitude of the Demons towards God? 
Towards man? 

43. Is this attitude natural? Why? 

44. Describe the character of the Demons as drawn by 
Newman. 

45. Milton's archdemon is heroic. Are Newman's? 

46. Which view is truer to faith? Which is the more 
artistic and literary? 

47. How does the Angel account for this difference of 
views? Lines 490-500. 

48. Does the introduction of demons add an element of 
plot? State reasons. 

49. What lines in 540-550 indicate the medium of Geron- 
tius' perception? 

50. Why does the poet employ this medium? Has it any 
bearing on ^the title? 

51. What lines in. 570-580 show the craving of the soul for 
God? 



42 THE LOYOLA CLASSICS 

52. "That sight of the Most Fair will gladden thee, but it 
will pierce thee too." What example does the Angel use to 
explain this paradox? Lines 590-599. 

FOURTH EPISODE. Lines 603-824. 

53. A motif — a Avord much used in art and literature — is 
the recurrence of a theme. Thus in a symphony a fundamental 
melody appears and reappears in the different movements. 
What might be termed the motif of the songs of the five choirs 
of Angelicals? 

54. The content of the Angelicals' songs is: The story of 
man's 1 

55. Does Gerontius' appreciation of the Angelicals' song 
recall Tennyson's Bugle Song? Why? Line 674. 

56. Note the progress: — through the Gate, up the Sacred 
Stairs, to the Threshold. How does Newman turn this poetic 
fancy to artistic use? 

57. "There is a pleading in His pensive eyes will 

trouble thee." Line 736. What incident of the Passion does 
this line suggest? 

FIFTH EPISODE. Line 825-875. 

58. What is the tone of this episode? Why is such a tone 
employed ? 

59. "I hear the voices that I left on earth." Line 827. This 
line and the Angel's answer bring back what scene? 

60. Lines 827-835 show "the fears of anxious hearts." Is 
this note of anxiety in place? Why? 

61. The words of the Angel of the Agony are full of ? 

Why is this feeling proper here? Lines 836-847. 

62. The most solemn moment of the poem is left to our 
imagination. Why? Line 848. 

63. What is the effect of God's sanctity on the soul of 
Gerontius? Line 853. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 43 

64. Does this effect give us a picture of what sin must be 
in the sight of God"? Why"? 

65. After judgment, what is the sole thought of Gerontius? 
What were his thoughts before? Why this difference? Line 
860. 

66. Note the simple beauty of the Soul's song of resignation. 

EPILOGUE. Lines 876-912. 

67. Mark the sweet peace of the epilogue. What are its 
elements'? 

68. Would you prefer another ending? For instance, that 
Gerontius should wake from his dream and live ? State reasons 
for your preference. 

69. Select any one of the Poems for Comparative Beading 
and compare it with The Dream of Gerontius, stressing these 
three points : 

a. Is the view-point Christian or pagan? 

h. Are the treatment and attitude submissive or defiant? 

c. Is the effect hopeful or depressing? 



SHORT POEMS FOR COMPARATIVE READING 

Arnold: Bughy Chapel; Thyrsis. 

Browning : Prospice. 

Bryant : Thanatopsis. 

Gray: Elegy in a Country Churchyard. 

Hemans: The Hour of Death. 

Holmes: Under the Violets. 

Hood: The Death Bed. 

Hunt : Death. 

Keats : The Terrors of Death. 

Knox: Oh! Why Should the Spirit of Mortal he Proud? 

Longfellow: The Two Angels; Besignation. 



44 THE LOYOLA CLASSICS 

Lowell: After the Burial. 
Lyte: Abide with Me. 
Milton : Lycidas. 

Moore: Oft in the Stilly Night; Those Evening Bells. 
Poe: Annabel Lee; The Raven. 
Procter: History of a Life. 
Rosetti : Song. 
Scott: Soldier, Rest. 
Shelley : Adonais. 

Stoddard: We Sat by the Cheerless Fireside. 
Tennyson: Crossing the Bar; Break, Break, Break. 
Whitman: Captain! My Captain! 
Wordsworth : Three Tears She Grew. 

Almost all these poems can be found in The Cambridge Book 
of Poetry and Song. (The Thomas Y. Crowell Co., New York.) 



DRAMATIC OUTLINE 

Drama is a picture of human life for representation on the 
stage. The essential lines of difference between ancient, or 
classical, and modern, or romantic drama may be illustrated 
in the following table: 

CLASSICAL MODERN 

1. Religious subject. 1. Subject matter unre- 

stricted. 

2. Action carried through 2. Prologue and epilogue 
prologue, five acts, and epi- rarely employed, while num- 
logae. ber of acts varies. 

3. Chorus. 3. No chorus. 

4. Three unities, 4. One unity. 

5. Two or three actors. 5. No set number of 

actors. 

6. Soliloquy and dialogue. 6. Soliloquy and dialogue 

are shortened. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 45 

The subject, religious in character, is taken from the myth- 
ical tradition or folk lore of the nation. A serious, sombre 
atmosphere envelops the theme, and thus adds to it depth and 
grandeur. The spirit of Greek drama is the spirit of a religi- 
ous sacrifice. But the pagan idea of fate, blind and inexorable, 
ruling men and gods in such wise that both are powerless in 
its grip, throws over the theme an air of tragic woe, and 
renders the actors helpless in the working-out of their destinies. 

In modern drama no restriction is placed on the subject 
matter. Its range is world-wide, embracing in its sphere all 
human interests. The actors are free agents in the working- 
out of their destinies, and Divine Providence, while a guiding, 
is not thereby a compelling force. 

In the classical form a prologue, five .acts, and an epilogue are 
wont to be employed in carrying on the action of the plot. The 
prologue contains a narrative of facts introductory to the main 
action. The first act marks the situation and introduces the 
characters. The second, third, and fourth entangle the plot 
and heighten the action. The fifth act brings us face to face 
with the catastrophe, or climax, or crisis of the action. The 
epilogue points the moral of the drama. As the epilogue and 
the fifth act, once the crisis is past, carry what is technically 
called the falling action ; so the second, third, and fourth acts, 
and, up to the crisis, the fifth act, carry what is termed the 
rising action. To relieve the strained feeling naturally aroused 
by the intensity of the action during these acts, and to give the 
lighter note of lyric beauty to the solemnity of the whole, the 
chorus was brought into the play. 

The office of the chorus was "to utter the voice of wisdom, 
counsel, and religion, and from time to time to sing an ode 
suggested by the play, thus relieving the attention of the 
spectators." The modern drama here offers a sharp contrast 
to the classical drama. The prologue and epilogue are set 
aside. The number of acts is not fixed. The chorus is not 
employed. But the entangling of the plot, together with the 
rise and fall of the action, is a property common to ancient 



46 THE LOYOLA CLASSICS 

and modern drama. In point of fact, action is the soul of 
drama, as the very derivation of the word suggests. And from 
its inception the drama has embodied this action in the form 
of a struggle or clash of mighty forces. Thus, in the Greek 
prototype, the conflict was between humanity and fate; in 
the modern development, this clash is wont to express itself 
in the wrestling of the powers of evil and good. As all nature 
marks the law of a gradual growth to full fruition and then a 
placid decline, so drama, as the natural expression of man's 
activity, gradually leads up the action to a climax, and then 
lets it fall gently to a conclusion. In this rise and fall of the 
action we have life's strong passions — love, hatred, anger, fear, 
and pathos — brought into full play. And hence the sharper 
the contrast of these passions, the greater the dramatic power. 
Unity of time limits the drama to events that might occur 
within the compass of twenty-four hours. Unity of place 
limits the scene to one spot, usually the palace or temple front. 
Unity of action excludes all matter not pertinent to the plot. 
Classical drama observes all three of these unities; while the 
modern play neglects all but the last. 

In dramatic dialogue in place of acts episodes are used. 
The Dream of Gerontius may be classified as dramatic dialogue, 
classical in form. 

Dramatic Analysis of The Dream of Gerontius. 

Prologue The death-bed of Gerontius. Lines 1-170. 

First Episode. ... Soliloquy of the Liberated Soul. Lines 

171-320. 
Second Episode. . Recognition of the Angel. Lines 321-394. 
Third Episode. . .Vestibule of the Judgment Court. Lines 

395-602. 
Fourth Episode. .Presence Chamber of the Judge. Lines 

G03-824. 
Fifth Episode. ..Judgment. Lines 825-875. 
Epilogue "Farewell, but not forever." Lines 876-912. 



t 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 47 

For a fuller discussion of dramatic principles consult: 

Coppens: A Practical Introduction to English Rhetoric. 
Matthews: Study of the Drama. 
Moulton: Ancient Classical Drama. 
Woodbridge: The Technique of the Drama. 
Freytag: Technique of the Drama. 

THE DRAMATIC FORM 

1. State the elements characteristic of classical dramatic 
form. Point out these elements in The Dream of Gerontius. 

2. In any dramatic form there must be a rise and fall in 
the action. Why"? 

3. Trace this rise and fall in The Dream of Gerontius. 

4. Do you think that the action drags? If so, why"? 

5. What is the climax in the poem*? 

6. Show that the preceding episodes have a direct bearing 
on the climax. 

7. Point out that this relation grows closer as the episode 
comes nearer to the climax. 

8. How would you word a law of dramatic composition 
embodying the ideas contained in Nos. 6 and 71 

9. Can you find any such principle in your Rhetoric? 

10. Do you think there is a gain in dramatic effect by the 
abruptness in the climax itself? Why? 

11. In the classical form the climax has place in the fifth 
act. Does the fifth episode correspond to the fifth act in this 
respect ? 

12. The dramatis personae are: the Assistants; the Angels; 
the Demons; the Soul; God. Which of these is made the 
central figure and why? 

13. Dramatic action requires a clash of persons or of forces. 
Have we such a clash here? 

14. With what object does this clash concern itself? 

15. What characters represent what would be the hero and 
the villian in modern drama ? 



48 THE LOYOLA CLASSICS 

16. Is the plotting" of the Demons suggested rather than 
acted before our eyes? Why? 

17. The Dream of Gerontius may be the drama of (a) a 
souFs salvation; or, (b) the defeat and success of God's crea- 
tion. Which of these views is yours, and why? 

18. The characters of the dramatis personae should be por- 
trayed in their actions and their conversation. Is this prin- 
ciple worked out in the poem? If so, give a brief character 
sketch of Gerontius, the Guardian Angel, and the Demons. 

19. Do the soliloquies of the Soul strike you as natural or 
forced; long draw out or of proper length? Why? 

20. Why should the dialogue be in the form of question and 
answer? 

21. Do you think the subjects of the dialogues are too deep 
to be interesting? State your reasons. 

22. Do you think people not of the Faith would appreciate 
the dialogues? Justify your answer. 

23. Is there any direct answer to the boasts and complaints 
of the Demons? Why? 

24. Can you consider the choruses of the Angelicals an in- 
direct answer to the Demons? 

25. Does the indirect dialognie of the Angelicals and the 
Demons represent counsels for and against the soul at judg- 
ment? Why? 

26. Would this representation be in accord with our idea of 
angels and demons? 

27. Would such a representation of angels and demons be 
dramatic? Why? 

28. What five great passions mentioned in the Dramatic 
Outline are brought into play in a drama? Can you point out 
the expression of these passions in the poem? 

29. In the classic drama the chorus "consisted of a band of 
persons who were supposed to have been present at the occur- 
rences represented. They were actors, or rather spoke and sang 
like one actor in the drama." Show that the chorus of Assist- 
ants, Angelicals, and Demons fulfills these two conditions. 



i 




THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 49 

30. In the classic drama the personnel of the chorus remahis 
unchanged. Why does the action of The Dream of Gerontius 
call for a change in the personnel of the chorus'? 

31. The office of the chorus was "to utter the voice of wis- 
dom, counsel, and religion/' and "from time to time sing an 
ode suggested by the play, thus relieving the attention of the 
spectators." Show that these duties are fulfilled by the As- 
sistants, Demons, and Angelicals. 

32. The choruses usually marked the division of the acts. 
Do they as a rule mark the division of the episodes in The 
Dream of Gerontius? 

33. What is meant by the three unities'? 

34. Have they a place in The Dream of Gerontius f 

35. 'NYhy are they not all employed in modern drama? 



50 THE LOYOLA CLASSICS 

STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS 

1. Let each student write an honest appreciation of the poem. 
Is it a masterpiece to him or not? State why. 

2. Let the class construct a similar dream. The theme : 

a. The soul of Judas; or, 

b. The soul of Joan of Arc. 

Follow the dramatic analysis (prologue, five episodes, epi- 
logue). A single episode may be assigned to one student or 
to a group of students as the number in the class varies. Have 
the assignments read in class, criticized, combined, and pub- 
lished in the school paper as a class poem. (If the class has 
not studied metrical composition, the exercise might profitably 
be written in prose.) 

3. Hold a class symposium : 

a. Paper on the history of the poem. 
h. Paper on appreciation of the poem by literary 
critics. 

c. Paper on the verse structure. 

d. Paper on Elgar's Oratorio. 

e. Intersperse with select readings from the poem. 

4. Let the students select three or four passages to be 
memorized and state the reason of the choice. 

5. Assign word studies: 

a. Let the student determine in any episode the ratio 
of Anglo-Saxon words to those of classical origin 
and state reason for the proportion used. 

h. Let the student note in any episode the picture 
words, figures, and comparisons; and then deter- 
mine whether ornamental or plain diction pre- 
dominates in the chosen episode. Show the con- 
nection between the diction and the thought. 

6. A short paper on the laws of narration and their exem- 
plification in The Dream of Gerontius. 

7. A paper on Greek drama, stressing the Hellenistic idea 
of blind fate, which of course could have no place in Christian 
literature. 



I 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS 51 

GLOSSARY 

Abraham, n. The divinely appointed founder of the Jewish 

nation. 
Aggravate, vt. To add weight, to increase. (Colloquial) To 

provoke, to anger. 
Albeit, conj. Even though, although, notwithstanding. 
Arraign, vt. To cite, to summon, to indict. 
Ascendant, a. Ascending, rising, superior, dominant. 
Beatific Vision (Theological). The sight of God face to face. 
Bigot, a. Narrow-minded. 

Blandishment, n. Soothing or flattering speech or action. 
Cant, V. To speak with affected or hypocritical unction. 
Celestial, a. Heavenly, divine. 
Chastisement, w. The infliction of punishment. 
Chronology, n. The science which treats of time ; the order of 

events. 
Chuck, vt. To toss, to pitch. 
Clod^ n. A lump of clay. 
Clomb, pp. or imp. of climb. 
Coil, vt. To wind in rings. 
Communion, n. Sympathetic intercourse. 
Comply, vi. To consent, obey. 
Composite, a. Compound. 

Connatural, a. Innate, congenital, cognate, allied. 
Constituent, a. Component. 
Consummate, vt. To complete, to finish. 
Converse, vi. To commune, to talk with. 
Cope, vi. To contend, to fight. 
Cornice, n. The horizontal molded projection at the top of a 

building, usually under the eaves. 
Correlative, a. Mutually involving or implying one another. 
Cozen, vt. To cheat, to swindle. 
Cycle, n. Eon, a vast period. 
Dreed, pp. of dree, v. To suffer, to bear. 
Effluence, n. A flowino- out. 



52 THE LOYOLA CLASSICS 

Eld, n. Former times, antiquity, old age. 

Emmanuel, n. God with us ; one of the names of the Savior. 

Febrifuge, n. A medicine that is efficacious against fever. 

Guerdon, n. A reward given as an honor, recompense, requital. 

Heritage, n. An estate that passes by descent; a share, a por- 
tion. 

Hist, inter j. Be silent, hush, hark. 

Hubbub, n. Uproar, tumult. 

Incarnate, vt. To embody in flesh. 

Impotent, a. Weak, destitute of power. 

Integrity, n. Uprightness of character, the state of being entire. 

Intemperate, a. Characterized by lack of moderation, violent. 

Intonation, n. Modulation of voice in speaking. 

Introversion, a. The act of turning within. 

Isaac, n. A Hebrew patriarch, the son of Abraham. 

Job, n. A Hebrew patriarch, a type of patience. 

Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison (Greek). Lord have mercy on us, 
Christ have mercy on us. 

Lintel, n. The horizontal top-piece of a doorway. 

Loathe, vt. To regard with hatred and disgust. 

Loathsome, a. Exciting extreme aversion or disgust. 

Lot, n. A Hebrew patriarch. 

Lucifer, n. Satan. 

Marvel, n. That which excites wonder, a prodigy. 

Maze, n. A laybrinth, a network. 

Mete, vt. To allot, to apportion. 

Mortis in discrimine (Latin). In the critical moment of death. 

Moses, n. A Hebrew legislator and prophet. 

Mutual, a. Common, reciprocal. 

Nathless, adv. Nevertheless. 

Nethermost, a. Lowest. 

Novissima hora est (Latin). The final hour is here. 

Penal, a. Of or pertaining to punishment. 

Peremptory, a. Not admitting of debate or expostulation, de- 
cisive, absolute. 

Presage, n. An indication of something to come, omen, portent. 



THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS • 53 

Proficiscere, anima Christiana, de hoc miindo (Latin). Go 

forth, Christian soul, from this world. 
Sanctus fortis, Sanctus Deus, de profundis oro te, Miserere 

Judex meus, parce mihi, Domine (Latin). Holy Strong 

One, Holy God, from the depths I pray Thee, pity me, my 

Judge, spare me, my Lord ! 
Scopeless, a. Without end or limit. 
Scud, vi. To move, run, or fly swiftly. 
Thecla, n. A saint of Isauria. 
Token, n. Any object indicative of another object, a sign, 

an indication. 
Transform, vt. To change. 
Uncouth, a. Ungainly, odd, outlandish. 
Unruly, a. Ungovernable. 
Vestibule, n. A small antechamber. 
Visitant, n. A visitor or guest. 
Wane, vi. To diminish in size or brilliancy, to decrease. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



■ 



014 526 224 ^ 



# .^ 



